London in the Twentieth Century: A City and Its People

by Jerry White

A brilliant, acclaimed book which examines one of the world's greatest cities during one of the most tumultuous centuries—winner of the Wolfson History prize. In 1901, London was the greatest city the world had seen in size, wealth, and grandeur. Yet it was also a city where poverty and disease were rife. London in 2001 was no longer among the world's very largest cities, but was still one where vast wealth was displayed—alongside beggars sleeping rough. Such paradoxes are among the defining experiences of living in London in this extraordinary century, and in this colorful book Jerry White tells the story not just of London, but of Londoners too. He examines the changes to the worlds of work, transport, popular culture, politics, and government, and shows how London affects its inhabitants, shaping their lives and being shaped in turn by them. Beautifully illustrated and with a wealth of detail, this is a definitive and highly readable history of London in the 20th century.

Genres: History, London, Nonfiction, British Literature, Politics, Cities

560 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Professor of London history

Reviews

[Josh Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

London in the twentieth century is an undeniably enormous topic to take on, with countless themes and events and stories and developments to explore. As in his books on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Jerry White has given it his best shot here. The same structure that divided his other books remains, with the passage of the century being divided into five different areas: city, people, economy, popular culture and politics.

The expansion and then constriction of boom and bust London is discussed in a thoughtful and well informed tone, although the detail which White goes into at various points can make it a little less accessible than one would like. The same over emphasis on certain topics at the expense of others that dogged his other books is certainly present here. A long section about the history of the Labour Party towards the end seems random and a little confusing, even though the Labour movement was apparently born in London.

The description of the physical, cultural and social changes that took place here between 1900 and 1999 is breathtaking in its scope and I think that once again, White has done a decent job in including all the important points. At times however, one is left wishing for more knowledge of the last century's political upheavals in Britain as a whole, as you get the definite sense that some background explanation is missing. This probably highlights the difficulty in focusing on the impact of a whole century on one city: what to leave out and what to include, what is relevant to explain and what isn't.

In spite of the wild tangents and the lengthy passages on one topic that contrast with sparse discussion of others, I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to learn about what really happened to London in the century of my birth.

[❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

[Jimmie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last book of the trilogy in the London series. In the this last book I read, in horror, of the rapacious developers who demolished 17 Wren churches to put in concrete office buildings. The Edwardians were not sentimental about their older buildings being destroyed to "modernise" their city. Unbelievable! It was fun to read about the different sections of the city and how they have changed. That includes the people of London, as well. My London ancestors would hardly recognize their city. I will end this by cocking a snook to Margaret Thatcher. Such a delightful language, British English!

[Stephen J. Golds · Rating 5 out of 5]

The be all and end all of books on London. A fascinating, comprehensive, well-sourced, well-researched, highly entertaining biography.

Of all the many books I have read on the subject of London and it’s history, this biography of London is by far the one that has made me understand my hometown and every facet of its past and present the most.

It seems London has been running continuously on the same circuit for well over 120 years.

Development
Prosperity
Immigration
Gentrification
Overcrowding
Decentralization
Decline
Demolition
Redevelopment
Prosperity

This is an entertaining but highly academic study of London, it’s buildings, it’s streets, it’s politics and it’s people.

I never truly realized to what extent London was the banking, style and manufacturing center of the world in the early 20th century and how London was self-sufficient for everything Londoners wanted or needed in their daily lives.

Highly recommended for people who love London and want to know more about it or for people who just love history.

[Jason Larimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars. There was a lot of very interesting content.

[David Bird · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this volume after White's other volumes on the city during the 18th and 19th centuries, and after them, found it a great disappointment. It was a tedious and frustrating experience by comparison.

One facet of this book relative to its predecessors is a strength that reads as a weakness: much more information is available in statistical, rather than anecdotal form. This no doubt makes a more solid scholarly base, but also is less entertaining for a reader.

But the more profound difference was that my being an American was not a grave disability for the volumes covering the earlier periods, for the author assumed the need to explain what was going on in the foreign country of the past. But in this volume, he regularly writes with offhand references and assumes that his audience knows a good bit of his subject already.

An example of this from p. 273: "The cafes and cellar bars of Soho had long been the information nexus for men living on their wits, and never more so than now, despite frequent raids by...police. Among them were men like Alfie Hinds, a household name twenty years later as the persecutor of prison and police authorities." Who was Alfie Hinds? Well, the index lists "Hinds, Alfie (prison escaper)." One can only surmise that the 'persecutions' involved some sort of successful escape, and that as a household name, the reader is presumed to know that. Similarly, names of neighborhoods are often used as a shorthand, which would make for a quick evocation in a reader already familiar, but which is often opaque to this foreigner.

The effect of this, paradoxically, is to make an account of a 'world city' city that is remarkably provincial. I am glad that I read the 18th and 19th century volumes, which I very much enjoyed, before this one. Had I started here, I would have ventured no further.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really this is several studies in one - the infrastructure, capital & labour, culture and so on, of the greatest city in the world. Each section is researched in great depth and presented concisely. There is a lot of information to assimilate, and the bibiography could keep an interested reader busy for years. The real value of this book is to give context to to the modern United Kingdom, particularly the South East, its politics, economy and culture.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Modern London isn't my strong suit so I appreciated the depth and scope of this history. It was easy to read, as others have mentioned, although the copious use of numerical info (populations, percentages, dates) tended to blur together. Porter's history was more enjoyable overall but this one is worth reading for a better understanding of London today.

[Mike Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

comprehensive and very readable - highly recommended

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